Firewall comparisons

Hello,
I've been a ZAP user for some time, but after the company recently sold it seems as if their fw isn't as dependable as in the past. In the past I never had any problems with any of the upgrades. The last two ZAP upgrades have caused me nothing but problems. Judging by what I've read in other forums, I'm not alone. So, I'm thinking of switching to another firewall. I was wondering if any of the regulars and experts here might be kind enough to share their views of what they think is the best fw now available and that compares favorably with the previous ZAP(circa 4.5 and earlier). My main concern is security and having some degree of user control. I have no experience with setting rules for my past ZA, but would be willing to learn. Also, have their been independent reviews done of the main firewall products which are now currently available?
Thanks and looking forward to your feedback.
(WinXP/h/sp1)

 

If you're used to the ease of ZA, then Outpost would be a logical step up. It's a user-friendly firewall with enough flexibility for the advanced user. Outpost has a pretty good following and you should be able to find plenty of documentation and help if you were to need it.

 

I would suggest Looknstop as you new firewall. It is extremely easy to use. While making custom rules in the program takes a good degree of networking and internet savy, the program has a preset rule package called "Enhanced Rule Set" (which unfortunately isn't its default rule set) which gives you excellent protection from inbound threats. The interface for outbound applications is similar to Zone Alarm Pro but with the added option of allowing or blocking the application just for the current session.

In addition, the program is probably the lightest on resources of any firewall and has no charge for updates once the initial purchase is made. The program is a pure firewall so if you're looking for other functions such as ad blocking, it isn't the one for you.

 

i made the switch from zone alarm pro to out post pro 2.1 and found it very easy to use just run in rules wizzard for a few days then switch to block most it's a great firewall.

 

Bluekey23,

One word of warning, ZoneAlarm's uninstall does not always remove all components and this can cause problems with the installation of other firewalls. See here for detailed uninstall instructions.

I'd suggest you consider Kerio as an option along with Outpost (the free version of Kerio simply lacks the Pro's web filtering whereas Outpost Free, based on v1, is getting dated and does not perform well against leaktests). If you want full application control also and are prepared to spend (lots of) time on configuration then Tiny could be an option too.

 

This article has an excellent analogy that can help you understand the key concepts used in rule based firewalls.
There is definately a learning curve to using and understanding all the nitty gritty details in the rule based firewalls, but once you get over the curve, the view is great.

Outpost Pro is powerful, yet has a nice user interface.
One could make the transition from ZAP to Outpost Pro with a little knowledge. The Outpost Forum has excellent configuration articles and tips. The people there are also very helpful like here on Wilder's.

 

Everyone,
Thanks very much for all the advice and tips! Very helpful indeed. Paranoid -that link was just what I was looking for as I've been trying to do a complete uninstall of ZA for last couple of days(with no luck).

 

ZoneLabs don't like to let go of their customers do they? Glad to hear you're sorted and good luck with your next choice.

 

Exactly what I intend to do! At least until some notice in the future comes out that a flaw or hole - exploit, what ever comes to light with 4.5. Why spend the $.

 

Just wanted to add my choice of firewall. The above mentioned by our members are all good in their own right. As they say to each their own. My choice which I am running is 8Signs Firewall.
A.Low on consuming resources.
B. By default, passes all stealth test.
C. Has a tarpit feature which enable you to freeze and lock up a hackers scan of your system.
D. You can back track also a given Ip
http://www.8signs.com/firewall/download.cfm

 

This seems an interesting idea (more details on it on their features page) but I do wonder if it would be as effective as they suggest (and using it would mean, obviously, that your system was no longer stealthed online) On the downside, it could make troubleshooting legitimate problems harder (say if you were running a server or P2P program on your system for instance and legitimate incoming connections were being tarpitted).

It's worth mentioning that a stealthed system (which returns no response to unsolicited connection attempts) can act as a tarpit of sorts since any scan would need to give it some time to reply before timing out.